Best new amp under $2k?

All of the amps mentioned are fine performers I'm sure. There's no shortage of high value performance now it seems. While I haven't heard all of those mentioned and can't make meaningful personal comparisons, I am very pleased with the sound of my Belles 150 Hot Rod. Coupled with a Music Reference RM5III tube preamp and Maggie 1.6qr's, it exhibits all the attributes mentioned in Stereophile in abundance. It's an extremely pleasing and musical amp.

right at $2k is conrad johnson's mv55. while it's at the top end of your specified range, it's a wonderfully musical amp, 45 wpc (in ultralinear)powered by a pair of el34's on each side. it's been a sereophile class b reccommened component for years. i absolutely loved mine. when i purchased it, i compared it to (among others) an 85 watt offering from vtl. that may be worth a listen too. good luck.

I use KT 88.Sovtek.I tried KT90 but they where a bad set so i never did really find out what they could sound like.I have put Amprex 12AX7NOS in them this was a nice upgrade.My Rogue 88 had 6550C Svetlana and sounded very nice. I have Coincident IC from my sources TT/CD.I have a Audioquest Quartz from Pre to Amp and i am getting Coincident Speakers cables.I had a set for trial and i have now purchased a pair on this site and will get them this week.I have Super Conquests.Which speakers do you use.

It really depends on your other equipment which one will work for you. Sam Tellig did a good job of expalining the differences, while he prefers the Musical Fidelity A3CR amp, he explains why others may like the McCormack DNA 125 or Belles Hot Rod 150. Actually he had 3 of the best SS amps for under $2,000 together for comparison.

Thanks for the information Leafs. I too, am using Coincident speakers. Digital Masters w/Troubass subwoofers. The best way to explain them is to picture Wilson WATT/Puppies ala Israel Blume. Very easy to drive, and wonderful, relaxed(unlike Wilson), yet detailed sound. Coincident used to produce some pretty interesting speakers. Israel's mantra was to have no parallel cabinet walls, and they also got into coincident(tweeter and mid) drivers. Have you ever seen any of their product literature from pre 1998? Each speaker had its own unique cabinet design. They put out some REALLY cool stuff. I guess success is a double edged sword, as the time and labor required to produce those interesting cabinets would not allow them to keep up with demand. I think your Rogues are a good combination with Coincident. I had the match for a little while, and found it superb. I think Rogues sound best with KT88s. Next time you retube, give the JJ(Czechoslovakia) KT88s a try. I think you will find them the best of the bunch. Much better sounding to me than Russian KT88/6550.